Shebbin Vûr the Emissary
A mysterious who guest had been hosted by the Honnin High Priest since the day of Mori-Karn's re-alignment. Shebbin Vûr was a Near Haradan,sent by servants of the Dark Lord as an emissary, to seal a compact with Mori-Kam. He had arrived in the guise of a Honnin priest, in robes that hid his features, under the cover of night, All could see that he was not Honnin, but none of the lesser inmates knew more than that.The envoy was a striking man.This proud warrior was well muscled and tall among his own folk and towered over the jungle men around him; even in the hooded robes he wore about the temple, he looked out of place. His skin was dark and his hair was as black as coal.A trim beard and glittering black eyes finished out the image of a polished desert warlord.In his homeland, Vur was respected and feared as a military and political tactician. He was quite skillful as a diplomat, which was why he was selected for this journey. He was not pleased with the duty, though. He had no respect for the small dark men of the wood and found their accommodations distasteful. He also felt that they had nothing to offer his Near Haradan masters. Even so, he was dutiful and pandered to his hosts, giving compliments and praise that did not show their insincerity. He did not let the peaceful nature of his mission outweigh the habits of a lifetime; he wore armor and weapons beneath his robe. His armor was a shirt of fine chain, worn over a padded tunic of scarlet leather. The shirt has been muffled against jingling with strips of thick cloth woven into the rings. From a belt around his waist hung a long, slightly curved sword that was his favorite weapon. It's long grip allowed it to be used one- or two-handed, and Vur was quite adept with either style.A charmed dagger was tucked into the left sleeve of his robe. Vur's clothing was rounded out with a pair of loose black trousers and soft boots of black calfskin. The envoy also had three special items that were given to him for this mission: a ring, a broach, and a globe of black crystal. He kept these with him at all times; the ring on his right ring finger, the broach on the collar of his robe, and the five inch ball of glass in a leather bag that dangled from his swordbelt. Artifacts: *The Ring of Kellot Shul - — This beautiful ring, wrought of silver and steel, had been passed down through the Near Haradan followers of Ard, since it was taken from a warrior of the Dúnedain in the 15th century TA.It gave it's wearer complete protection from disease and infection. It did not, however, have any power to cure any illnesses already contracted. *The Brooch of Tongues —- This interesting piece of jewelry was prepared by a powerful mage of Near Harad for just such missions as Vûr's one. It was somewhat unsightly, with a pattern of mouths and ears etched into a two inch disk of brass, pierced with a thick pin of the same material. Placed within a foot of a sleeping human through a night's sleep, it would become imbedded with the sleeper's native tongue. From that point on, any who wore the brooch would be able to speak and understand the language with level four proficiency. This in addition to any languages he already knew. It could carry only one language at a time, and would reset each time it was left near a sleeper. The only exception to this was for Haradaic, which it would not learn, since it was made for men who spoke this tongue already and might wish to keep it with them as they slept. Other folk might have been surprised to find that the brooch seemed useless to them after they had slept with it nearby; it would have learned their language and offered them no benefit. The item was set with the Honnin speech, learned from a guide that met Vur at the forest's northern edge. *The Gift — Like the rings made for Dwarves and Men, this intriguingly beautiful sphere of crystal was a tool designed to ensnare the will of it's keeper. It was to be offered to Mori-Kam at the end of Vúr's stay at the temple, as a parting gift and to seal the pact. It would allow the goddess to speak directly with her new ally; not unlike a Palantír of Númenor, but it would only link with the mind of Sauron. Once this intimate link is established, the Dark Lord will begin an inexorable process of binding the weaker will to his service. Luckily for any mortals the sphere could only be activated by a spirit such as Mori-Kam. References *MERP:The Forest of Tears Category:Haradron Category:1650 Category:Third Age Category:Southron Category:Near-Harad